The Wood for the Trees: The Long View of Nature from a Small Wood

Drawing upon a lifetime of scientific expertise and an abiding love of nature, Richard Fortey uses his small wood to tell a wider story of the ever-changing British landscape, human influence on the countryside over many centuries and the vital interactions between flora, fauna and fungi. The trees provide a majestic stage for woodland animals and plants to reveal their own stories.

Tweet of the Day: A Year of Britain's Birds from the Acclaimed Radio 4 Series

Wherever we are, there are birds. And wherever there are birds, there is birdsong. It's always a pleasure (and a relief) to hear sounds that prove the world's still spinning: whether it's the sighing of migrating redwings on a damp October night, the twitter of swallows fresh in from South Africa in April, or the call of the cuckoo in May. Based on the scripts of BBC Radio 4's beloved year-long series, and distilling two lifetimes' knowledge, insight, and enthusiasm into this recording, Brett Westwood and Stephen Moss take you month by month through the year, and the changing lives of our favourite birds.

Raptor: A Journey Through Birds

Winner of the Royal Society of Literature Jerwood Award for Non-Fiction in 2011 and the Authors' Foundation Roger Deakin Award in 2011. A stunning debut in the tradition of Robert Macfarlane and Helen Macdonald. Of all the birds of the British Isles, the raptor reigns supreme, sparking the imagination like no other. In this magnificent hymn to these beautiful animals, James Macdonald Lockhart explores all 15 breeding birds of prey on these shores....

Landmarks

Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable audiobook edition of Landmarks, a fascinating exploration of the relationship between language and landscapes by Robert Macfarlane, read by Roy McMillan. Words are grained into our landscapes, and landscapes are grained into our words. Landmarks is about the power of language to shape our sense of place.

Nigel: My Family and Other Dogs

When Monty Don's golden retriever, Nigel, became the surprise star of BBC's Gardeners' World, inspiring huge interest, fan mail and even his own social media accounts, Monty Don wanted to explore what makes us connect with animals quite so deeply. In many respects Nigel is a very ordinary dog - charming, handsome and obedient, as so many are. He is also a much loved family pet. He is also a star. By telling Nigel's story, Monty relates his relationships with other special dogs in his life in a memoir of his dogs past and very much present.

Fingers in the Sparkle Jar: A Memoir

An introverted, unusual young boy, isolated by his obsessions and a loner at school, Chris Packham was only at home in the fields and woods around his suburban home. But when he stole a young kestrel from its nest, he was about to embark on a friendship that would teach him what it meant to love - and that would change him forever.

A Brush with Nature: 25 Years of Personal Reflections on Nature

Richard Mabey is Britain's foremost nature writer. He has written a regular column for BBC Wildlife Magazine for over 25 years and, in doing so, has created a passionate, lyrical and deeply personal record of the natural world

The Old Ways: A Journey on Foot

In The Old Ways, Robert Macfarlane sets off from his Cambridge home to follow the ancient tracks, holloways, drove-roads, and sea paths that form part of a vast network of routes crisscrossing the British landscape and its waters, and connecting them to the continents beyond. The result is an immersive, enthralling exploration of the ghosts and voices that haunt old paths, of the stories our tracks keep and tell, of pilgrimage and ritual, and of song lines and their singers. Above all this is a book about people and place.

Meadowland

Meadowland gives a unique and intimate account of an English meadow's life from January to December, together with its biography. In exquisite prose, John Lewis-Stempel records the passage of the seasons from cowslips in spring to the hay-cutting of summer and grazing in autumn, and includes the biographies of the animals that inhabit the grass and the soil beneath: the badger clan, the fox family, the rabbit warren, the skylark brood and the curlew pair, among others.

The Butterfly Isles

Butterflies animate our summers, but the 59 species found in the British Isles can be surprisingly elusive. Some bask unseen at the top of trees in London parks; others lurk at the bottom of damp bogs in Scotland. A few survive for months while other ephemeral creatures only fly for three days. Several are virtually extinct. Simon Shepherd reads this bewitching book charting Patrick Barkham's quest to find each of them - from the Adonis Blue to the Dingy Skipper - in one unforgettable summer.

The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate - Discoveries from a Secret World

How do trees live? Do they feel pain or have awareness of their surroundings? Research is now suggesting trees are capable of much more than we have ever known. In The Hidden Life of Trees, forester Peter Wohlleben puts groundbreaking scientific discoveries into a language everyone can relate to.

Cuckoo: Cheating by Nature

The familiar call of the common cuckoo, "cuck-oo", has been a harbinger of spring ever since our ancestors walked out of Africa many thousands of years ago. However, for naturalist and scientist Nick Davies, the call is an invitation to solve an enduring puzzle: How does the cuckoo get away with laying its eggs in the nests of other birds and tricking them into raising young cuckoos rather than their own offspring?

How to Read Water: Clues, Signs & Patterns from Puddles to the Sea

A must-have book for walkers, sailors and everyone interested in the natural world, How to Read Water unlocks the secrets of water in all its forms. Natural navigator Tristan Gooley imparts knowledge and teaches skills, tips and useful observations to help you navigate the landscape around you.

Being a Beast

Charles Foster wanted to know what it was like to be a beast: a badger, an otter, a deer, a fox, a swift. What it was really like. And through knowing what it was like, he wanted to get down and grapple with the beast in us all. So he tried it out; he lived life as a badger for six weeks, sleeping in a dirt hole and eating earthworms. He came face to face with shrimps as he lived like an otter and he spent hours curled up in a back garden in East London and rooting in bins like an urban fox.

In the Land of Giants

Max Adams explores Britain's lost early medieval past by walking its paths and exploring its lasting imprint on valley, hill and field. From York to Whitby, from London to Sutton Hoo, from Edinburgh to Anglesey and from Hadrian's Wall to Loch Tay, each of his ten walk narratives forms a portrait of a Britain of fort and fyrd, crypt and crannog, church and causeway, holy well and memorial stone.

The Shark and the Albatross: Travels with a Camera to the Ends of the Earth

For 20 years John Aitchison has been travelling the world to film wildlife for the BBC and other broadcasters, taking him to faraway places on every continent. The Shark and the Albatross is the story of these journeys of discovery, of his encounters with animals and occasional enterprising individuals in remote and sometimes dangerous places.

The Weather Experiment

In 1865 a broken Admiral Robert FitzRoy locked himself in his dressing room and cut his throat. His grand meteorological project had failed. Yet only a decade later, FitzRoy's storm-warning system and 'forecasts' would return, the model for what we use today. In an age when a storm at sea was evidence of God's great wrath, 19th-century meteorologists had to fight against convention and religious dogma.

A Guide to British Farmland Birds

Join Brett Westwood and Stephen Moss in this absorbing guide to the sounds of our most popular farmland birds, as heard on BBC Radio 4. In the fifth of our series of bird guides, Brett Westwood is joined once again by enthusiastic birdwatcher Stephen Moss, and with the help of recordings made by wildlife sound recordist Chris Watson they present this knowledgeable and entertaining guide to the songs, calls and cries of the birds you may see and hear around Britain's farmlands.

The Shepherd's Life

These modern dispatches from an ancient landscape tell the story of a deep-rooted attachment to place, describing a way of life that is little noticed and yet has profoundly shaped this landscape. In evocative and lucid prose, James Rebanks takes us through a shepherd's year, offering a unique account of rural life and a fundamental connection with the land that most of us have lost.

A Guide to British Woodland Birds

Join presenter Brett Westwood and Stephen Moss in this fascinating guide to the songs of our most popular woodland birds, as heard on BBC Radio 4. Woods and forests are full of birds, and although you might not immediately see them you will certainly hear them. This practical and informative audio guide, recorded in springtime in the Forest of Dean, will help you to recognise the birds you see - and those you only hear - when you're walking in one of Britain's beautiful woodlands.

Bird Sense: What It's Like to Be a Bird

What is it like to be a swift, flying at over one hundred kilometres an hour? Or a kiwi, plodding flightlessly among the humid undergrowth in the pitch dark of a New Zealand night? And what is going on inside the head of a nightingale as it sings, and how does its brain improvise? Bird Sense addresses questions like these and many more, by describing the senses of birds that enable them to interpret their environment and to interact with each other.

A Guide to British Garden Birds

Joining Brett and Stephen is wildlife sound recordist Chris Watson, armed with an array of microphones to allow Brett, Stephen, and listeners to eavesdrop on the songs, calls, and alarm cries of the birds in the Somerset garden.

The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll through the Hidden Connections of the English Language

A quirky, entertaining and thought-provoking tour of the unexpected connections between words, read by Simon Shepherd. What is the actual connection between disgruntled and gruntled? What links church organs to organised crime, California to the Caliphate, or brackets to codpieces? The Etymologicon springs from Mark Forsyth's Inky Fool blog on the strange connections between words.

Alan Bennett: Keeping On Keeping On: Diaries 2005-2014

Alan Bennett narrates the latest installment of his diaries, as heard on BBC Radio 4's Book of the Week. Following on from Alan Bennett's best-selling, award-winning prose collections Writing Home and Untold Stories, Keeping On Keeping On is a third anthology featuring his unique observations, recollections and reminiscences. At its heart is his latest published collection of diaries.

Audible Editor Reviews

An obsessively maintained bird diary or field notes aren't necessary prerequisites for loving birds, as bird writer and humorist Simon Barnes proves in A Bad Birdwatcher's Companion. Gently and amusingly narrated by Barnes himself, this audiobook is an unpretentious and helpful guide for anybody who takes pleasure from simply gazing out the window at a beautiful bird. Offering simple identifying features of 50 common British birds alongside playful observations on bird character, the best feature of this audiobook is a recording of each of the birds' songs, giving listeners a chance to compare these calls to what they hear outside.

Publisher's Summary

Simon Barnes is one of Britain's leading bird writers and humorists. His weekly column in The Times (London), his essays for the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) magazine, and his two books on bad bird-watching have made him one of the characters of the bird world.

Here, he reads his own illuminating introductions to the 50 main birds of Britain, supported by the distinguishing bird song of each species. He not only gives helpful identifying features, but enriches them with whimsical observations on their characters and tendencies. It is a delightful text, superbly presented by the author himself.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.

Wasnt sure what to expect from this audio book - but always like it when read by the author so decided to give it a try. I am so glad I did. In fact I have only just finished it and I'm going straight back to start it again. I have Iearnt so much and I find I remembered more by listening rather than by reading-just my style of learning I suppose. It is beautifully read and the passion of the author shines through. I would unhesitatingly recommend this book to anyone remotely interested in the natural world. Brilliant!

As a very keen indifferent birdwatchers this is very inspirational and will help me name names as well as make the pilgrimages to birding places to see and hear the birds on my wish list. I still remember a quote from the Wife of Bath's tale "as the bittern bombeth in the mire" Simon Barnes did not quote it, but he had other quotes and music to illustrate various birds he listed and how they have been woven into our music and literature

I share his enthusiasm for birds if not birding and to see and hear birds and their song can elevate a day from good to great. I hope this and his other books will encourage others too.

I am relatively new to birdwatching and this was a nice way to brush up on some facts about our most common species. I especially like that there is a recording of song for each bird and this has already been useful to me in by birdwatching.

What about Simon Barnes’s performance did you like?

I liked the conversational tone and found the performance very engaging. I will definitely listen to this book again.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Towards the end of the book there is mention of the necessity of conservation efforts and an encouragement to support organisations such as the RSPB. I am already an RSPB member but these chapters made me keen to do more.

Wasn't sure if it was worth getting this, even though I'm interested in birds, as I'm a/generally wanting a novel to listen to and b/ reasonably adept at recognising the 'most obvious birds'. But it is brilliant. I found it wonderful upon first listening and have come back to it repeatedly to re-listen. It's the only book I've kept on my MP3 player - for over a year now - so that I can reference it.

I can now recognise the call of a number of birds without laying my eyes on them. I can recognise the flight or behaviour patterns of some others, and know some interesting little facts about many more. I'm not sure how easy it'd be to follow if you didn't have a clue what the birds looked like in the first place. But Simon Barnes' delivery and gentle sense of humour combine to make his book very enjoyable to listen to, as well as very good to learn from.

As a person who has been recently engulfed by the wonder of birding I want to thank the author for an informative and enthusiastic glimpse into his birding world. This book is clear, full of easy to access tips and advice. A great listen, possibly when accompanied by a search engine for images or a quiet personal reflection on birds seen and the wealth of birds still to see with places to see them ,it widens your birding horizons.

What made the experience of listening to A Bad Birdwatcher's Companion the most enjoyable?

I enjoyed Simon's descriptions about the birds and how they live.

What was one of the most memorable moments of A Bad Birdwatcher's Companion?

None stood out, I loved all of it.

Which character – as performed by Simon Barnes – was your favourite?

None in particular.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes but couldn't due to length and couldn't always concentrate and kept dozing.

Any additional comments?

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, but wish more ducks had been featured. I also wish the Bird from Peter and The Wolf got an airing at least once as the duck did, though the classical music interludes did nothing for me overall.